(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a halogen lamp assembly detachably inserted into a reflector housing or enclosure having a lens and a reflector and, more particularly, to a mounting structure of a halogen bulb in a holder.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
In a halogen lamp device for an automotive headlamp, a halogen lamp is inserted into a reflector housing having a cover lens and a reflector in a state to be fastened to a holder so that the filament of the lamp is disposed at an adequate position in the reflector enclosure. The lead wires of the filament to be removed from a pinch-seal portion of the halogen lamp are welded to a support mounted in the holder and the support is electrically connected to an external connector. In other words, a bulb body is held by the support at a predetermined position with respect to the holder. A mounting structure of such a bulb holder is disclosed in Japanese unexamined patent publication No. 58-123653 laid-opened on July 22, 1983, corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 339,194 filed on Jan. 13, 1982. However, since the bulb body is held directly to the support, a large load is applied to the welding portions of the lead wires of the filament to the support when an external force is applied to the bulb during handling or assembling work. Since the lead wires of the filament are formed of a material softer than that of the support, the lead wires themselves are deformed in the vicinity of the welded portions, and the relative position of the filament to the holder might be varied. This means that the filament cannot be disposed at the position where the halogen lamp assembly is mounted on the reflector, thereby resulting in a disadvantage in the distribution of a light beam emitted from the headlamp.